Plant-duster



UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JOHN F. EDDY, OF BRUNSWICK, (RAYMERTOWN P. 0.,) NEW YORK.

PLANT-DUSTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,730, dated April20, 1880.

Application filed November 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN F. EDDY, of thetown of Brunswick, (Raymertown P. O.,) in the county of Rensselaer andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPlant-Dusters, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective view of one of theseimproved plantdusters in the hands of a person using the same. Fig. 2 isan elevation of a nearly central section of the same plant-dusteronalarger scale,a part of the lateral handle being broken off; and Fig. 3is a plan of the upper end, and Fig. 4 a plan of the lower end of thesame.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

1 The design of my invention is to enable fertilizers, insect-destroyingsubstances, &c., which have the form of powder, to be conveniently andeasily distributed upon plants; and it consists in a plant-duster inwhich are combined a vessel for containing the substance to bedistributed, a reticulated bottom which is suitably journaled at thelower end of said vessel, so as to be capable of an independent rotarymovement, and a handle provided for each of said parts, whereby they maybe made either separately or simultaneously vibratory or stationary,substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

A is the body of a vessel having a circular vibrative sieve-like bottom,B, and a handle, 0, firmly secured to the vessel-body, and extendingtherefrom laterally and higher than the rim (1 of the vessel.

E is a shaft secured to the central part of the sieve-bottom B, andextending therefrom through the middle part of the vessel, and held byjournal-bearings, so that it can be freely turned to and fro in supportsF G, secured to the vessel-body.

H is a handle fastened crosswise to the upper end of the shaft E, andarranged higher than the rim (1 of the vessel and centrally in relationthereto, so that by vibrating the handle H the shaft E and sieve-bottomB will likewise be turned to and fro about their common axis, while thevesselA can be held stationary or can be vibrated about the shaft bymeans of the lateral handle 0, fast on the vessel.

In carrying out this invention the aforesaid parts thereof can have anysuitable construction; but I generally prefer to have the support F inthe form of a bar arranged diametrically across and rigidly fastened tothe rim part 21 of the vessel-body, with a central journal-socketsurrounding the shaft E, and in one piece with the upwardly andoutwardly extending shank t of the lateral handle.

I also commonly prefer to have the lower support, G, Figs. 2 and 3, inthe form of radial arms j j, having acentral journal-socket fitting uponthe shaft E, and made in one piece with a downwardly extending flange,7g, that is tightly fastened to the lower part ofthe vessel.

The sieve-bottom B is preferably of finelyperforated sheet metal, withits lower side supported by a rim, l, extending upward under the flangek, and in one piece with radial sievesupporting arms m, having at thecenter an angular socket fitting on a corresponding part, a, of theshaft E and against a removable collar or washer, 0, and secured to theshaft by nuts p on a screw-threaded end part of the shaft, so that thesieve bottom B can be easily removed for repairs, or another ofdifferent fineness secured in its place, and the collar or Washer ochanged for one of different thick-.

ness to adjust the upper surface of the sievebottom at difierent degreesof closeness to the bars j, which latter, with the flange k, measurablyserve to prevent the turning of the mass of ground plaster orpowder-like material in the vessel by the turning of the sieve-bottom toand fro by the handle H and shaft E, and also serve to relieve thesieve-bottom of a portion of the pressure of the weight of thepowder-like material in the vessel.

A collar, q, Fig. 2, fast on the shaft E, over the support F,holds upthe bottom B in place when the vessel is carried by the lateral handleO, as can be easily done in use, by means of a loop-like strap extendingover the shoulder of the person and secured to the lateral handle at ornear its shank t, as indicated by dotted lines at M" in Fig. 1. When theplant duster is carried by the handle H the part G of the vessel-bodybears on and is supported by the washer 0 and the parts below'fast onthe shaft E, or the part F may bear upon and be supported by a removablepin, 5, projecting from the shaft.

The manner of using this improved plant duster will be apparent from theforegoing description and the accompanying drawings.

I am aware thata sifter has been heretofore devised with a cylindricalvessel and acircular vibrating sieve-bottom having its upturned rimunder a downturned flange on the lower end part of the vessel, and acentral rotary or vibratory crank-handle shaft fast to the central partof the sieve-bottom, and supporting and operating the latter, and heldby journalbearings iu supports secured to the vessel, but without havingtwo handles. one rigidly secured to and extending laterally from andhigher than the vessel-body, and the other fastened crosswise to andupon the upper end of the said sieve'operating shaft and centrally farabove the top rim of the vessel.

1 do not claim herein a plant-duster consistin g of a vessel forcontaining the article to be separately or simultaneously vibrated,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this 12th day of November, 1879.

JOHN F. EDDY. Witnesses:

AUSTIN F. PARK, J AMES T. GooDFELLoW.

